State Department proposes visa bond requirements up to $15,000 for tourist and business visa applicants in new 12-month pilot program targeting specific countries.
The U.S. State Department is proposing that applicants for tourist and business visas be required to post a bond of up to $15,000 to enter the country, which could make the process unaffordable for some.
In a notice posted on the Federal Register’s website and scheduled to be published on Tuesday, the State Department said it would kick off a 12-month pilot program for people from countries with high overstay rates and deficient internal document security controls to be required to post bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000, when applying for a visa.
The proposal comes as President Donald Trump and his administration work to tighten requirements for visa applicants.
The department announced last week that several applicants looking to renew their visas would have to submit to an additional in-person interview, which was never required in the past.
